The present invention relates to a structure of a front end portion of a front fender in a vehicle.
Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2-61784 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2-249772 disclose a structure of a front end portion of a front fender in a vehicle.
More particularly, a side surface in a front portion of the vehicle is constituted by a front fender.
The front fender has a vertical surface portion formed downward from an inner end of an outer surface portion, and an inward flange is also formed from a lower end of the vertical surface portion. The flange of the front fender is mounted to a vehicle body, a mounting portion is set at a front end thereof, and both end portions of a radiator core upper are mounted to an upper surface of the mounting portion from a front side of the vehicle. In this case, the radiator core upper corresponds to one part suspended in a direction of a vehicle width on an upper portion of a front side of an engine room, and constitutes a bone frame by being combined with the other parts such as a radiator core side or the like.
In this case, as to a design of the front fender, there is a case that an overhang portion bending only the outer surface portion and the vertical surface portion inward and having no flange is formed in the front end portion of the front fender on the basis of requirement in view of a design of a whole vehicle body.
In the case of forming the overhang portion mentioned above, since the overhang portion is in a state of moving around a front side of the mounting portion of the flange and then the overhang portion and both end portions of the radiator core upper are interfered with each other, it is impossible to directly attach both end portions of the radiator core upper to the flange of the front fender.
Accordingly, in the case mentioned above, the structure is made such that an inward extending bracket is mounted to the front fender and both end portions of the radiator core upper are mounted onto the bracket.
However, in the structure mentioned above, when it is intended to mount both end portions of the radiator core upper in a state of forming the overhang portion in the front end portion of the front fender, the independent bracket is required, so that an increase of the number of parts and an increase of the number of working steps are caused.
Then, there is required a proposal of a structure in which no such an independent bracket is required even when the overhang portion is formed and also both end portions of the radiator core upper can be mounted to the mounting portion of the front fender in accordance with an easy mounting method.
On the contrary, in recent years, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 7-35255, there has been proposed a structure in which all frame parts including a radiator core upper and peripheral equipment are previously made as a front end module, which is then mounted to the vehicle body in a manufacturing line of an automobile, order to improve efficiency in the assembly of the automobile.
In view of the above, such a structure is required that when the radiator core upper is assembled in a large and heavy front end module, the front end module can easily be mounted to the front fender even.
The present invention has been made by taking the studies mentioned above into consideration, and an object of the present invention is to provide a structure of a front end portion of a front fender in a vehicle which requires no independent bracket and where, even when a radiator core upper is set in a front end module, the front end module is easily mounted.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a structure of a front end portion of a front fender in a vehicle, in which the front fender has an outer surface portion, a vertical surface portion formed downward from an inner end of the outer surface portion and a flange formed inward from a lower end of the vertical surface portion. The structure is provided with an overhang portion formed by inward curving the outer surface portion and the vertical surface portion, and a mounting portion which is formed in a front end portion of the flange so as to be positioned immediately after the overhang portion and to which corresponding one of both end portions of a radiator core upper is mounted. And specifically, the mounting portion is at a position lower than the overhang portion.
In other words, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a structure of a front end portion of a front fender in a vehicle, in which the front fender has an outer surface portion, a vertical surface portion formed downward from an inner end of the outer surface portion and a flange formed inward from a lower end of the vertical surface portion. The structure is provided with an overhang portion formed by inward curving the outer surface portion and the vertical surface portion, and mounting means for mounting corresponding one of both end portions of a structural element of a front end module. The mounting means is formed in a front end portion of the flange so as to be positioned immediately after the overhang portion, and specifically the mounting means is at a position lower than the overhang portion.
On the other hand, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method of mounting a front end portion of a front fender in a vehicle, in which the front fender has an outer surface portion, a vertical surface portion formed downward from an inner end of the outer surface portion and a flange formed inward from a lower end of the vertical surface portion, and an overhang portion is formed in the front end portion of the front fender by inward curving the outer surface portion and the vertical surface portion. The method comprises the steps of suspending a front end module including a radiator core upper, causing each of both end portions of the radiator core upper to correspond to a mounting portion formed in the flange, moving the front end module toward a rear side so that each of the both end portions of the radiator core upper passes below the overhand portion, and mounting each of the both end portions of the radiator core upper on corresponding one of the mounting portion of the flange so as to attach the both end portions of the radiator core upper to a vehicle.